Attachment for illuminated advertising sign



Jan. 29, 1957 G. P. GUNDLACH EXAL 2,779,118

ATTACHMENT FOR ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING SIGN Filed July 6, 1954 UJ ///B c R U D A Yo TR A Eww w E T m ICE CREAM INVENTO S. m4m

ATTORNY5.

United StatesPatcnt O ATTACHMENT FOR ILLI I MINATED ADVERTISING SIGN George P. Gundlach. and Louis B. Iiampe, Cincinnati,

Ohio, assignors to G. P. Gundlach & Co. Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application Jul 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,274

3 Claims. c1. 40-130 This invention relates to illuminated advertising display signs and is particularly concerned with an attachment which is designed to increase the advertising appeal of such signs and to provide means for varying the displays.

Illuminated advertising display signs have been well known for many years. In-general, such signs are utilized to advertise the name of a business, agene'ral line of products, or'some onespecific product. The present invention is concerned with'an attachment for signs of this type adapted greatly to increase the illuminated advertising space so that if desired the principal sign may be utilized to display the name of a proprietor or some general line of goods, while the attachment is utilized to display some specific product or type of product.

One of the objects of the invention has been to provide in conjunction with a sign of the type indicated, an attachment which is readily removable and can be used or not, as desired.

Another object has been to. provide an attachment adapted to'support removable advertising panel insertions so that the display may be varied from time to time.

Another object has been to provide an attachment of the type indicated so mounted with respect to the sign that the advertising material contained thereon is illumi hated by the sign almost equally as well as the material contained on the sign proper. v

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from the further and more detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figural is a front view of a combined sign and attachment illustrating 'a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2 -'2 Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2, illustrating more clearly the particular preferred form of mounting the attachment with respect to the sign.

Referring again to the drawings for a further and more detailed description'of the invention, an illuminated advertising display sign is indicated generally as,10, Fig

ure 1. "it will be appreciated that the exact construction of this sign is not critical to the invention except in the respects which will be hereinafter indicated, and accordingly the ensuing description is only a general one.

The sign casing comprises generally a combined top and back member 11 which is preferably bent or otherwise formed from sheet metal. A flange 12 is bent downwardly from the upper front edge as indicated. A pair of narrow channel members13 and 14 respectively extend across the entire lower front and lower rear 'of the sign and are spaced apart to provide a horizontally extending slot 15 in the base of the sign, into which the upper edge of the attachment is inserted and through which light can pass to illuminate the attachment.

The combined rear wall and top member 11 and the two channels 13 and 14 have their ends enclosed in end 2,779,118 Patented Jan. 29, 1957 channel members 12 and 13. Plates are positioned against the inner surface of each'end cap 16. These plates are of less height than the end caps and perform the dual function of holding the upper and lower edges 18 and 19 of the front panel against the vertical walls of the channel members and of acting as a seat for the j fluorescent tube receptacles and the starter.

The face of the transparent panel 17 may contain advertising material ofthe general type indicated at 21. In the particular embodiment shown a clock face 22 likewise appears on the panel 17 but does not'constitute a feature of the invention.

Referring to Figure 2 particularly, a fluorescent tube 23 is disposed horizontally along the sign in the upper portion thereof and is mounted in receptacles 24. The

. connections for the receptacles are indicated generally as 25 and the outlet wire for transmitting current to the tube through the receptacles is designated as 26. The mechanism of the clock' is designated" generally as 27 and its-supporting brackets 28. Various other elements of the sign, particularly the ballast and starter are mounted in the interior but are not shown in the drawings.

As particularly shown in Figure 3, a V-shaped strip" 29 has, one. of its legs secured to the rear wall member 11 of the sign on the interior thereof by welding or the like. The. second leg depends on an angle into the in-, terior of the sign and forms a flange 33 for supporting the attachment. The attachment designated generally as 30 is adapted to releasably interlock with this flange. The attachment comprises generally a flat sheet member 31 which has its upper edge 32 bent rearwardly and downwardly along its entire length. This upper edge interfits with the flange 33 of the V-shaped strip to support the attachment with respect to 'the' sign.

. The attachment sheet 31. preferably hasa strip 34 wa'rdly as indicated to provide a ledge 36. Accordingly,

advertising display sheets such as that designated generally as 37 may be removably inserted between the lip 35 and the ledge 36. These sheets may be formed from paper, cardboard, metal, or any sheet material.

In the preferred mounting of the attachment with respect. to the sign, the horizontal leg of the channel member 1! extends forwardly beyond the point of interlock between theattachment edge 32 and flange 33 so that the rear edge of the attachment contacts the front edge 38 of channel member'14 and inclines the attachment'slightly forward. In this way light from the fluorescent tube 23 passes downwardly through the slot 15 in the base of the sign and illuminates the panel of the attachment.

The sign and attachment are particularly adapted to interior use and when mounted behind a counter or on a wall, form a very etfective advertising display for products sold in the establishment. By changing the panels 37 from time to time the proprietor has an opportunity to emphasize particular products which are seasonal or which are being featured at the moment.

Obviously, various changes and adaptations may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment.

Having fully described the invention, we claim:

1. An illuminated advertising sign comprising, an elongated sign casing having a top wall, a vertical front wall, a rear wall, and an open bottom facing downwardly, said front wall including a vertical translucent display panel, a light source residing within the upper portion of the casing between the front and rear walls thereof, the said light source illuminating said translucent panel and projecting light rays downwardly through the open bottom of the casing, an upwardly facing hook mounted at the lower edge portion of the said rear wall, said hook having an upper edge spaced above the lower edge of the rear wall, a fulcrum element on the rear wall having a bearing surface spaced inwardly from the rear wall and below the upper edge of the hook, said bearing surface and upper edge residing in a common plane which is disposed at an acute angle downwardly and forwardly to the plane of the vertical translucent display panel, and an opaque display panel depending downwardly through the open bottom of the casing, the upper edge portion of said opaque panel having a downwardly facing hook engaged over the upper edge of the upwardly facing hook within the casing and suspending the opaque panel by gravity, the portion of the opaque panel below the downwardly facing hook resting against the bearing surface of the fulcrum element and thereby sustained at an acute angle downwardly and forwardly to the plane of the vertical translucent panel, the plane of the opaque panel being angular to the path of light rays projected from the light source to intercept the same, whereby the light source illuminates the translucent panel by rays passing therethrough and the opaque panel by rays passing through said open bottom and reflected from the panel surface.

2. An illuminated advertising sign comprising, an elongated sign casing having a top wall, a vertical front wall, a rear wall, and an open bottom facing downwardly, said front wall including a translucent display panel, said rear wall including a generally horizontal right angular flange along the lower edge thereof projecting toward the front wall and having an outer edgedelineating the rearward edge of said open bottom, a light source residing within the upper portion of the casing behind the translucent panel thereof, the said light source illuminating said translucent panel and projecting light rays downwardly through the said open bottom, an inclined flange residing at the lower edge portion of the said rear wall above the hon zontal flange thereof, said inclined flange rising upwardly and forwardly at an angle substantially bisecting the angle delineated by the rear wall and horizontal flange, the inclined flange having an upper edge spaced above the horizonal flange, the said upper edge and outer edge of the horizontal flange residing in a common plane which is inclined at an acute angle downwardly and forwardly to the plane of the translucent panel, and a demountable opaque display panel depending downwardly through the open bottom of the sign casing, the demountable panel having an angular suspension flange projecting downwardly and rearwardly from the upper edge thereof, the suspension flange overhanging the upper edge of the inclined flange and detachably suspending the demountable panel, the outer edge of the horizontal flange engaging the suspended panel and stabilizing the same in a plane inclined outwardly and downwardly to the plane of the translucent panel of the casing, the inclined plane of the panel being angular to the path of light rays projecting from said light source through the open bottom of the casing, thereby intercepting the rays and illuminating the surface of the opaque panel, the rays from the light source passing directly through the translucent panel of the casing.

3. An illuminated advertising sign comprising, an elongated sign casing having a top wall, a vertical front wall, a rear wall, and an open bottom facing downwardly, said front wall including a translucent display panel, said rear wall including a generally horizontal flange along the lower edge thereof projecting toward the front wall and having an out-er edge delineating the rearward edge of the open bottom of the casing, a light tube mounted with in the upper portion of the casing behind the translucent panel and generally coextensive therewith, said light tube illuminating the said translucent panel and projecting light rays downwardly through the said open bottom, a V-shaped strip residing at the lower edge of the rear wall above the horizontal flange thereof, said V-shaped strip having one flange facially secured to the rear wall above the horizontal flange and having a second inclined flange rising from the apex of the V-shaped strip upwardly and forwardly at an acute angle to the rear wall, the said inclined flange having an upper edge spaced above the horizontal flange, the said upper edge and outer edge of the horizontal flange residing in a common plane which is inclined at an acute angle downwardly and forwardly to the plane of the translucent panel, and a demountable opaque display panel depending downwardly through the open bottom of the sign casing, the display panel having a suspension flange projecting at an acute angle downwardly and rearwardly from the upper edge thereof and delineating an apex along the upper edge of the opaque panel, the suspension flange having a width not greater than the width of the inclined flange of the V-shaped strip, the upper edge of the inclined flange interfitting the apex of the suspension flange and the lower edge of the suspension flange interfitting the apex of the V-shaped strip, the said interfitted flanges suspending the opaque panel from the V-shaped strip in a downwardly and forwardly inclined plane and providing a detachable connection therewith, the surface of the opaque panel below said suspension flange contacting the outer edge of the horizontal flange, said interfitted flanges and horizontal flange stabilizing the opaque panel in said inclined plane, said plane being angular to the path of light rays projected from the light source, the panel thereby intercepting and being illuminated by the light rays passing through said open bottom, the light rays from the light tube passing directly through the translucent panel of the casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

